Welcome to our March newsletter ... |
...and the focus is
on Head Street |
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Dear <<First Name>>
Work is well under way on the two-way cycleway along Head Street which will provide a safe two-way route to and from North Hill, Crouch Street and St John’s Street.
It will benefit city centre workers, shoppers and students at Colchester Sixth Form College as well as people making longer journeys to Colchester hospital and the railway stations.
Head Street itself is not been bike-friendly and hasn't been since at least 1963 when it became one-way. With buses on the left, loading bays on the right and a steady stream of private and commercial vehicles stuck in the middle, it is little wonder that only confident riders venture there while others use the footway -- or don't cycle at all.
The new cycle lane changes that. We'll let you know an opening date as soon as we hear about it. The route provides a dedicated space, separated from motor traffic. For many journeys it will help people avoid a long detour around the city centre one-way system.
This week Essex Highways confirmed that it will make the right hand lane of Headgate right-turn only except for cyclists who will be able to go straight ahead. This will allow cyclists coming from Butt Road to stay in the right hand lane and it will make it easier to enter the new cycle lane.The signs will be put up as the work is being completed.
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Colchester Cycling Campaign's next step is to ensure that the cycle lane joins with other high-quality cycle routes to form a safe and convenient network. This must include a cycle route from the south from Butt Road and we still hope that Crouch Street will rise phoenix-like to enable a high-quality east-west route.
"High-quality cycle infrastructure only works when people are able to use it for their full journeys," Stuart Johnson, campaign chairman, said.
The project has had its critics, most of them well known to us. To those who make claims about the dangers posed by the two-way path to pedestrians, we would point out that all traffic incidents in Head Street have involved a motor vehicle. We would also point to the widespread and safe use of bidirectional cycle lanes in London.
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Re-cycle aims for 22 containers of bikes to Africa this year |
Great news from Re-cycle, the Bikes to Africa charity based in Wormingford, which has sent out two more containers this month, bringing its total for 2024 to five. It is now aiming to send a total of 22 containers to Africa this year. Seeing how Re-cycle packs its containers, that's an awful lot of bikes. If you are newly retired or have time on your hands, Re-cycle would love to see you. It always needs help at its warehouse. If you'd like to hear about its volunteer roles, drop an email to info@re-cycle.org. If you are looking for a new bike (or perhaps want to add to your stable) it's worth giving Re-cycle a look. It always has about 50 bikes for sale to help meet shipping costs. |
Positive 2023 results for Safer Essex's Extra Eyes campaign |
More than 1,000 close passes were reported by cyclists in 2023.
Last year, cyclists reported 1073 close passes through the Extra Eyes service, which is run by the Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP). The simple process is designed to allow road users to report careless and dangerous road use, by uploading video footage.
In total, cyclists logged 1,279 reports through Extra Eyes, with 84 per cent of the reports being for close passes.
The largest number of reports came from drivers who made 2,816 reports of which 1,885 (67 per cent) were for careless or inconsiderate driving.
Of the reports by cyclists, 56 per cent were taken forward by Essex Police, which will have led to prosecution or the offer of a driver-improvement course for the offender. Seven per cent resulted in an advice letter being sent and 35 per cent resulted in no further action.
Of the reports by drivers, 35 per cent were taken forward by the police which will have resulted in prosecution or the offer of a driver improvement course, 3 per cent resulted in an advice letter being sent and 53 per cent resulted in no further action.
There were also 934 reports by pedestrians, 28 by motorcyclists and 36 by horse riders.
Will Cubbin, partnership manager for Safer Essex Roads Partnership, said: “We are very satisfied with the figures for 2023’s Extra Eyes initiative and we continue to praise the public for playing their part, in the continued shared aspiration for Vision Zero - no deaths or serious injuries on our roads, by 2040.
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"Whilst we would like all dangerous or poor road user behaviour tackled directly, Extra Eyes has strict criterion covering the quality of dashcam footage. As a result it is not always possible to process complaints. We ask Essex road users to check the criteria on our website, to support a satisfactory outcome.”
Colchester Cycling Campaign praised Essex Police for improvements in the service during 2023.
It said: “In the first quarter of 2023, we were dissatisfied with the high number of advice letters that the police were sending in response to close passes. We were dubious that these were effective and called on the police to take more robust action against careless and dangerous drivers. "Since March, we have seen a large drop in the number of advice letters and a big increase in the numbers of drivers being sent on driver improvement courses which we believe are likely to be a more effective way to improve driving behaviour and reduce the risk to road users.”
The campaign added: “We are sure that everyone who cycles would rather not feel they have to have a camera fitted to capture careless and dangerous driving. While a minority of drivers put vulnerable road users at risk, we recommend cyclists consider fitting a camera and making use of Essex Police’s Extra Eyes service to report driving that puts other people in danger.”
For more information on Extra Eyes, visit www.saferessexroads.org/extra-eyes
Extra Eyes has regular updates on X/Twitter. Here's an example.If you are tempted by the idea of a camera, here's a buyers' guide.
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Yesterday we received first sight of the plans for the new Boxted Road traffic-light controlled junction. The new housing to the west of this is among the first in Colchester to be built with a segregated, LTN 1/20-compliant cycleway. Of course this has to connect up to the rest of the network. We'll share our observations with you via the email group once we've had chance to look at them. The engineers' drawing is here. |
Will worked mostly in an office next to the Shard. The area was chosen by Cycling UK to project its message about climate change Courtesy of Cycling UK |
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Will Bramhill writes: Before the pandemic I spent 12 years working in London as a freelance journalist. I've been lucky never to have a 9-5 job and so I have avoided peak-time trains and motor traffic.
After redundancy at the Colchester Gazette I found myself back in the Smoke having last been there in the mid Eighties.
The memory of packed Tubes haunted me (I was once stuck for several hours on the hottest day of the year and people were trying to break the train's windows to get fresh air).
To avoid going underground I bought a white Shopper bike from Re-cycle at Wormingford – I called it Baby – and kept her at Liverpool Street for use around the capital. I splashed out on two Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres as I hate punctures, plus a reasonable D-lock.
I've worked for a variety of publications, with some of them over in Kensington and Bayswater. Mostly though I pedalled from Bishopsgate to the Shard or St Paul's.
All went well till I was coming out of an underground car park at midnight anticipating snow and ice above. I didn't make it to the street. My back wheel went out on a shiny piece of concrete and I landed full on my face. I had to catch the 00.18hrs Vomit Comet though and raced for Liverpool Street. At one stage a fireman leaned out of his passenger window and said: "Looks like you've broken your nose, chum." Fortunately being near Christmas the Red Cross were at the station and patched me up. They even held the train for me for five minutes.
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In London, every day was different, something new to see and talk about Andreas Leindecker/Pexels
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Baby, though, was no more. The fall had cracked her crossbar and she was beyond repair. After that it was on to the Barclays then Santander hire bikes, which are excellent and great value for commuters. There was also no worry about theft. I became adept at riding through the London traffic, filtering up the inside and outside of lines of cars but being ever so careful not to go on the left of HGVs that were likely to left-hook me. I grinned at passers-by and – horrors for London! – talked to other cyclists at traffic lights. I revelled at riding past the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and parliament, as well as over Tower Bridge, London Bridge and Southwark Bridge. I was overtaken by couriers on fixies, hipsters with beermats in their spokes and several times by the police on pedal bikes with flashing lights and two tones. I once watched fascinated as the Met's finest took on the creme de la creme of couriers in a bike skills competition on the steps of St Paul's, and I was quick to call the police when I was overtaken by a driver watching a gospel show on an iPad fixed to her dashboard in Bishopsgate. Her open windows meant I heard her praying along with them. I managed a word or two to a higher authority to try to protect other road users. Every day was different. Every day was something new. As much as anything I loved seeing Boris Johnson the Sadiq Khan improve the cycle network. Then Covid arrived together with WFH, working from home. I've never needed to go back. In fact I have been into the City once since the start of May 2020. I never missed the Tube of the Eighties. I don't miss the Greater Anglia trains (even the new ones), nor the office. What I do miss though is the buzz, the sheer exhilaration and joy of my rides to and from work. Do you have a beautiful commute? Send us details here! |
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Middlemill bridge shut long term |
Sadly it looks as if the Middlemill bridge will be shut long-term, meaning substantial detours for people using one of the most important routes in the city. The current situation is summed up in this Gazette story. Bearing in mind the length of the closure, the campaign will be increasing pressure for the council to ask the army to install a Bailey bridge. |
Book now for cycling laughs |
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Talented theatrical duo Ian Hornett and Kevin Topple bring their play Saddle Sore to the Headgate Theatre in Chapel Street North on April 3 to 5. Early booking is advisable. Profits go to Prostate Cancer UK.
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What's going on here, we wonder? Well actually some of us know but have to stay schtum. All will be revealed in the next newsletter or on the email group soon.
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We understand that Essex County Council engineers are busy finalising detail for the East Hill scheme, which will see segregated cycle routes on both sides of the road as part of the "Greenstead Connect" project. We're still awaiting news of a start date for the roadworks.
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We had hoped to bring you news about the changes to the St Botolph's roundabout that will make it more pedestrian and cycling friendly but everything is still under wraps. As soon as we can pass anything on, you will be the first to know.
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Their best work ... buried! |
This was the scene last month in Bruff Close, near Colchester railway station, as "attenuation crates", each 400 cubic metres, were lifted into a trench to be stacked together. They crates will help soak up excess water from the new bus lane and the NAR and discharge it slowly downstream to help avoid flash flooding. One of the workers told Colchester Cycling Campaign: "Elements of a scheme like this are often overlooked when the public consider what highways engineers do. "Drainage has been a big factor on this job. People tend to forget all that which goes in under the ground. "These will eventually be buried under the park north of Bruff Close. Only those who saw them being put in will even know they are there." |
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The campaign is stepping up its action against legacy barriers on cycle routes -- we want to see a programme in place to have them removed. Committee member Chris Stevenson is breaking down our map into county council wards so that we know which councillors to approach to ask for their support. Please check this campaign spreadsheet to make sure that barriers near you are included. If they are missing, email admin@colchester-cycling.org.uk. Separately Sustrans is tackling legacy barriers nationwide. Barriers are not only strongly discouraged in LTN 1/20, they often fail to meet BS5709:2018 If you want to know why barriers don't work for cyclists but still don't stop motorbikes, as many are intended to, watch this short video. |
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Asgard boxes such as this could become a common sight in front gardens, possibly screened by plants. At present people can park cars in their driveways but cannot install bike boxes
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Not so ticky-tacky little boxes |
This snippet of news falls in the bracket of "boring but worthy". Many people in terraced houses have trouble finding somewhere to park a bike. The Department for Levelling Up is consulting on chances to what is called "permitted development". If it is passed it will allow people to have bike boxes in their front gardens without having to apply for planning permission. If you can spare a few minutes, please take part in this consultation. Click on "completing an online survey" then say yes to "Changes to Permitted ...". Work your way through the document. The relevant questions are numbers 18 to 21 and Q53. If you can, query the size of the boxes proposed: they should be bigger to take any non-standard cycle, for instance a child carrier or a trike. |
Do you like mad March hares? |
This month is an ideal one to catch a glimpse of hares boxing as females become tired of the males' persistence. Read more about it here. One place locally to see the creatures is Withermarsh Green, just north of the B1068 at Thorington Street, and dusk is probably the best time. While Boxted bridge is closed, the cycle routes from Colchester are via Stratford St Mary and Higham, or Nayland and Stoke. If you need help planning a route contact admin@colchester-cycling.org.uk. NB: Ignore the fact that the tag on the linked map says Stoke by Nayland. The pin is on Withermarsh Green. |
Park your bike securely for £1 |
If you go to the city centre you can park at the secure bike park for just £1. Book your bike in – or hire an ebike –here: https://www.spokesafe.com/colchester-ebike-hire -- or you can scan the QR code that has appeared on every city centre sheffield rack. |
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Bike Meet is due to take place at 8pm on March 18 and it will probably be a video meeting. More details will be given out on the campaign's email group nearer the time.
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Picture from the past: the Lexden Sun |
Two bikes are leant against the wall of the Sun public house at Lexden on what looks to be an early summer's day at the beginning of the 1900s. The cart, with two possibly three horses, might have been delivering beer barrels. Various people sit at the side of the road and on a bench in front of the bay window. The pub is little changed today but for railings on top of the wall and a line of parked cars outside. The picture seems to predate telephone kiosks as there was one outside the building for most of the 20th century. |
Three Counties, Seven Piers ride |
Mind Mid and North Essex is running a Three Counties, Seven Piers ride on June 9 2024 to help fund better mental health care in north-east Essex. Charlotte Richards from the charity, said: "Join us for an exciting 94-mile cycle challenge from Great Yarmouth to Clacton via the beautiful East Anglian coast."
Full details are at https://mnessexmind.org/news-three-counties-seven-piers-cycling-challenge or call 01206 754 600. |
223days since Boxted bridge shut |
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Boxted bridge campaigners are still pressing to see whether the bridge can be reopened for pedestrians and cyclists walking their bikes. We'll let you know of any change in the current situation via the campaign email group.
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Hey boss, sign the charter! |
Have you signed the Colchester Cycling Charter yet? If not, please do. If you work or volunteer, please ask your organisation to sign too. The more people on bikes, the fewer traffic jams will snarl up our city. |
Don't bin me... pass me on |
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Feel free to pass on this newsletter via email and social media by using the link at the very top ... and encourage your friends to join the campaign so they receive their own copy every month.
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Chairman: Stuart JohnsonVice-secretaries: Alan Spence and Will BramhillTreasurer: Catherine Johnson Your committee: Alex Hooper, Chris Stevenson, Jean Quinn, Nathaniel Catchpole, Paul Avison and Paul Byrne |
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